Let's create! Pottery HD for iPhone and iPad review

With it being sleep and relaxation week here at iMore for Mobile Nations fitness month, I've been on the hunt for related apps, and the newest gem I've discovered is Let's create! Pottery HD for iPhone and iPad. This pottery-creating app is surprising relaxing and fun.

The menu screen of Pottery HD shows a piece of clay slowly spinning on table with out-of-focus greenery in the background. As you move around your iPhone or iPad, the background will slightly move around as if you are changing your orientation.

After you go through the initial tutorial your inbox will be your source of quests to create beautiful pottery pieces beginning with your Aunt Chloe. Through her, word spreads of your work and other people come to you to make pieces for them.

To create a pottery item, you simply use your finger on the piece of clay. Moving your finger up or down the clay will make is taller and shorter, moving out from the center will make it wider from that point, and moving in towards the center will make it thinner.

After you've shaped your item, you must send it to cooked. As it goes through the firing process, a progress bar displays and the background makes it appear that the clay is in a hot oven. Then it's time to decorate it.

You can decorate your pottery with paint, ornaments and fancy brushes that stamp a pattern on your artwork. You do this all while the item slowly spins on the wheel. The constant movement in Pottery HD is part of what makes it so relaxing, engaging, and beautiful.

If you have an active quest, then a little picture of what you're supposed to create will be displayed while you work towards your goal. On this polaroid snapshot, there are two different objects: the shape and design. You can earn put to 5 stars for each one. As long as you get three stars in each, your piece will be accepted.

There are two things about creating ceramics with Pottery HD that are disappointing. The first is that when adding paint, sometimes it doesn't register the correct spot and actually adds the paint higher than you would expect.

The other is that sometimes it's way too difficult to get even just three stars for your decorations. The screenshot above demonstrates this -- my vase looks almost identical to the photo, yet I only earned three stars. The one I made before this one only earned me two stars even though it was just a little shorter. Both vases earned 5 stars for the shape, so I don't think it's fair that the height alone made me earn one less star for decoration.

If the ceramic you are making is not for a quest, then you have an option to sell it. You need coins to buy new decorating tools for your quests.

Former app and photography editor at iMore, Leanna has since moved on to other endeavors. Mother, wife, mathamagician, even though she no longer writes for iMore you can still follow her on Twitter @llofte.

Reader comments

Let's create! Pottery HD for iPhone and iPad review

Weird, the version of this that we have on our iPad does let you save your image, and there is a "Collection" that seems to be missing from your menu page. Bummer if they removed it. However, you can still save a screenshot to your camera roll in a pinch. :)

Thank you Leanna for the review. We are more than happy to see your interest. To get 5 stars you need to match the design perfectly and I can assure you it’s possible :) Which version did you played? Inside the app you should found “collection icon” where you can keep your best designs. With “photo icon” you can also save snapshots to your camera roll.

Additionally you can share your creations also to the Pottery Portal (www.potterygame.com) straight from the app. Check amazing designs from other people there. Few days ago we started also special contest where you can win your own 3D printed pot!

Hmmm. When I sell my pots, they disappear from the collection. Is that not supposed to happen? I know about saving to Camera Roll, but I have no interest in that. I want them all saved in-app.
Can you tell me what is wrong with the pot I made a few screenshots up to only deserve three starts in decorations?

Do not sell the pots you wish to keep in the collection. Simply click “menu icon” to save it in the collection. Regarding the pot it seems all brushes should be lifted up by one small line. At the beginning completing the orders is easy but later everything must suite perfectly. That’s why you have the stars – to try several combinations till you get the right spot.

Not being able to sell them is exactly what I'm talking about being a con. I want to be able to save all the stuff I make even it was part of a quest or I sold it. It'd be even cooler if I could reference anything I've made in the past while making a new item.

I am really enjoying this game. Here are a few things I and I'm sure other players would like. :) I've purchased a few of the premium items and have been staying up WAY too late at night with this.

What I'd like:
1 - to have one button that fills the pot with any colour of my choice.
2 - to have a full palette of colour to choose from
3 - much more flexibility with creation of shapes including squares and hexagons
4 - to be able to save a shape you like and re-use it to create a new design
5 - to be able to paint vertical stripes in any colour or to change the colour of the basic brushes
6 - to be able to place handles where I want them
7 - to have handles (or hole) along with lid
8 - to be able to create a set of 2 or 4 pots and sell them together

A few more suggestions:
9 - to zoom a lot more on item requested by client (having trouble seeing bottom of pot in email 18)
10 - to have rejected pot returned to collection so I can sell it
11 - for email that says "try again" to give more specifics about what is wrong.